Next up is Sumter Printing in Sumter, SC, which, until the last couple years, didn’t know the exact date of its birth. According to President Rob Galloway, a request for his company’s history sent him to the Sumter County Museum and the county Genealogical Society. The paper trail stopped at 1907, where a W.C. Ivy published a journal called The Prospector, as well as offered his services as a job printer.

Incredibly, the business had three owners in its first 10 years, but only three more in the following 90 years. His father, Robert Galloway Sr., and uncle, Julius Chandler, bought the company in 1963. Chandler was bought out a few years later, and the Galloways have provided a stable ownership for more than 40 years.

Last, but certainly not least, is Tony Narducci, president of Phoenix-based O’Neil Printing. This company is so old that when it was founded, Arizona hadn’t even entered the union (that would happen in 1912). The railroad didn’t even come through Phoenix. And you think your company has shipping issues!

Founder William “Bucky” O’Neil, originally from Maine, bounced about before finding his true calling. Unable to sell typewriters (not even the jackrabbits were biting, Narducci chuckles), O’Neil hired a few women and opened up a letter typing business, essentially becoming one of the original direct mail houses.

In its early years, O’Neil focused on serving the legal and government markets. The company was sold by O’Neil’s daughter and son-in-law to its employees through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) in 1996.

Now that the panel have finished their cake and are pouring java, it’s time to get their views on where their companies have been and what the future holds.

What are the factors that have enabled your company to thrive for such a long time?